Barcelona B left-back Grimaldo could join first team for Supercups

Barcelona is not very deep right now in the full-back department due to injuries, so coach Luis Enrique might have to turn to his youth squad for replacements.

Reports from Catalan media on Saturday suggest that the coaching staff is strongly considering a call-up of Barça B left-back Alejandro Grimaldo to be on the squad for the European and Spanish Super Cups, which will all be contested within the next 10-12 days. Starting left-back Jordi Alba will be out for that exact period, and his backup, Adriano Correia, is running out of time to recover from a thigh strain, and his fitness is a huge question mark for Tuesday's match against Sevilla.

Right now, Jérémy Mathieu is the most likely to start in Tbilisi, and Enrique tested him for a good amount of minutes in preseason, but that's not his natural position after playing a whole season as a center-back. Douglas Pereira, a right-back who could eventually be used on the left side if everything else fails, is injured and out until October. Aleix Vidal, a versatile man who can play on either side of the defense, is not allowed to debut until January.

So Lucho can only really trust Mathieu for next week's matches, which opens the door for Grimaldo to make his official first team debut. One of the most exciting youngsters in the club's academy, the 19-year-old regained his starting left-back slot with new coach Gerard López, and he had a strong preseason with Barça B, which impressed the first team coaching staff.

If Adriano is not given the medical clearance when the squad is announced for Tbilisi, there is a very good chance we see Grimaldo with the big boys. Good news.